We're hosting the World Pipe Smoking Championship!

The Ozark Pipe Smokers are hosting the World Champion Pipe Smoking Contest & Convention, Oct. 3-5!
TOPS is a member of IAPSC and will host this year's event in Bentonville, Arkansas. There are some fringe benefits for attending and competing (free pipes and tobacco). Plus, we got Missouri Meerschaum's Phil Morgan to give the keynote address!
It's a long-smoke contest, which basically means you everyone gets the same amount of tobacco, everyone lights, no one relights, and the last one still smoking wins.

ITINERARY FOR THE CARSON DRIVE PAVILION

October 3rd
6:00pm Hospitality Room opens, everyone is welcome
October 4th
9:00am Vendor & Contest Registration Booths open
2:00pm IAPSC Smoking Contest begins
 7:00pm Fabulous Southern Style Buffet Banquet Awards Ceremony directly following Dinner
October 5th
 8:30am Group Breakfast at the DoubleTree Bistro 301 (free to those staying at the hotel)
General Business Meeting directly following Breakfast

 For a prettier version of this information, click the link below:
 http://eepurl.com/32CRr

Now, just in case we haven't tempted you enough (I did say free pipes and tobacco, right?), check out the menu for the banquet.

Main Course;
Pecan Smoked Chicken
Beef Brisket
Southern Style Ribs
St Lewis "Sweetie Pie's" Famous Mac N Cheese
Bacon Fried Green Beans
Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Smokin Baked Beans
Corn Salad and Garden Salad
Cream Corn Muffins/Yeast rolls

Dessert;
Pecan-Praline Cheesecake
Assorted sweets

Drinks;
Coffee, Sweet & Unsweetened Tea, Minted Lemon Spritzer and Hot Mulled Cider

So here's the cost. The convention is free to the public. The competition is open only to club members, but you can become a club member for the prorated rate of $5. Just for showing up, you'll get a free pipe and tobacco (while supplies last, and we have a lot of supplies). Those who compete will receive two more free pipes (well, except for the last place guy, who gets one pipe and a box of matches, because apparently, he needs the matches more). The banquet costs $30 per person, but please let us know soon if you're planning to dine with us so we can ensure an accurate head count. If you've got questions, call or visit Romeo's.

And the winners are...

For those interested to find out how you would have compared to the contestants in this months slow smoke contest, here are the results.

The Great American Smokeout

Today's the day we designate to encourage people to stop smoking, and I'll definitely light a bowl for that.

A big opportunity

We talked about this last year, but figured we'd better focus on the big move from Rogers to Bentonville, but we haven't given up yet on the idea of hosting the International Pipe Smoking Contest for the Arrowhead Pipe Club, of which TOPS is a member club.

We still believe we made the right decision last year in turning down the opportunity. Romeo's is much better off for not having the distraction of hosting the event, but that was then and this is now.

We'll be taking advantage of Thursday's meeting to discuss the contest, but we also have to talk about something else. To fund the contest, we will need everyone paid up on their $25 annual dues. We're not just asking for money, we're also offering something in return. We do have a Viking pipe set (one stem, two bowls) up for grabs, and the only way to enter the raffle is with your membership dues. Once we have enough paid members (I believe the number was $25), we'll be selecting a winner.

But the real winner will be TOPS once we make it to the contest next fall and meet a lot of fellow brothers of briar.

View from the Shop

The ever-talented Zack Hoyt (who knew) took some fantastic photos at Romeo's and would like to share. They're on his blog, all of which is worth a look. http://fliesliesandotherdiversions.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/in-the-shop-romeos-uptown-pipes-and-cigars/?refid=12

Calling all amateur blenders

As a club, The Ozark Pipe Smokers have very few stated purposes. The club was created to a) promote the enjoyment of pipe smoking wherever possible, and b) promote local pipe tobacco retailers. We're going for a twofer on this one.

Following in the footsteps of the Seattle Pipe Club, the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club, and the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club, TOPS is starting to think about promoting its own blend. Said blend, of course, would be available only through our ever-generous host, Romeo's Uptown Pipes & Cigars, which fulfills one of our purposes.

The main reason you should participate, however, is that this will be our tastiest activity yet. Early discussions have introduced the possibility of blending and/or tasting days, open only to paid members, where we all sit down and smoke something that has never before existed.

If you're wanting to start early, we are leaning toward using Cornell & Diehl blending tobaccos. Our next meeting is July 14, and we are certain to talk about it more then.

Smoking in Style

I'm sure everyone was curious what we ended up doing with the raffle money. Wonder no longer. The sofas are in, and they are comfortable. Thanks again for everyone who bought tickets or donated items. We have left our mark on Romeo's.

Westminster and Westminster: Side by Side

I know that, on the surface, what I'm about to say here will seem ridiculous. I am about to compare a GL Pease blend with one from Altadis. Taken at face value, we shouldn't even bother. Greg Pease is known for quality English blends that showcase latakia, while Altadis is known for over-flavored aromatics that leave goop gunning up your pipe. I think it's safe to say that no one would ever be making this comparison if both blends weren't named Westminster.

Tallman sweeps Thursday's giveaways

Murray "Tallman" Farr swept the two remaining raffles, getting lucky on the pipe tobacco assortment and the Casa Magna cigars. Of course he was generous enough to pass the box before he left with most of the sticks.

The art of waiting

At the St. Louis Pipe Show, I bought myself a tin of Solani Silver Flake. It was priced on the high side for the money I took, but the sample was tasty, and it was a 100g tin. My buddy Jeff, an accomplished enabler, said it would only get better with age.

TOPS Fifth Thursday Meeting

It seems like we just had one of these, but I'll never turn down a Fifth Thursday TOPS meeting.

All around Uptown

With Romeo's moving from downtown Rogers to uptown Bentonville, more changed than just where we light our tobacco. The places I stopped on the way to Romeo's are now in the other direction. While others may and probably do have different priorities, my first task was where to grab my favorite lunch.

Tobacco Video Game Review

I've got a pair of lesser known games to spotlight today, including one that is one of the more unique gaming experiences I've had. Without further ado, I'll leap right into...

Scenes from a Bentonville Pipe Club

The Ozark Pipe Smokers held the inaugural meeting at the new Romeo's Uptown Pipes & Cigars. We had a lucky number (13) in attendance with room to spare, and we didn't even need to utilize the "front porch" area. The club's record attendance was 17, and the new shop feels more than ready for that many and more, without feeling as crowded as even the more sparsely attended meetings at the old shop. Look below to see the spacious accommodations in action.

Romeo's is moving!

Please try to be calm, but Romeo's Downtown Pipe & Tobacco Co. is leaving downtown Rogers. After more than two years, the shop has outgrown its original location, and circumstances have made this the time to find new digs.
The new shop will be at 220C N. Walton Blvd. in Bentonville, sharing a building with Radio Shack, across the street from O'Reilly's.
The new location gives Romeo's more space, and renovations are already underway to make the new shop as enjoyable for an afternoon smoke as the old shop was.
The big move is scheduled for Monday, with the new shop opening Tuesday, March 8.
It's the beginning of a new era for Frank and his little smoke shop and the following they have found in northwest Arkansas. Frank has big ideas for his new shop, and, as the consummate storyteller,
Oh, and there's one more thing. Romeo's is no longer in downtown, so Romeo's is getting a new name. Starting Tuesday, it will be Romeo's Uptown Pipes & Cigars.
Hope to see you all there.

Moving Day is Monday

There have been no shortage of offers for help in Romeo's move from Rogers to Bentonville. Some of the volunteers, particularly those working on building out the new site, are already hard at work. For those who offered to help load the truck, the day is Monday, March 7.
Frank is asking anyone who has offered their help to be at the shop at 5 p.m. Monday. He's hoping for one big trip to get all the furnishings from the old shop to the new one. Because even the larger new shop could get crowded easily, those who would still like to volunteer are unfortunately not needed, although their offer is appreciated.

First club meeting to break in the new shop

The Ozark Pipe Smokers will have their next regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m., but those going to the usual spot will miss out. This will be our first meeting at Romeo's Uptown, 220C N. Walton Blvd., and we encourage you all to attend what is a historic meeting.
As always, TOPS' meetings are open to anyone, whether they enjoy a relaxing pipe, a fine cigar, or just the tobacco room note. For those who are unfamiliar with our meetings, they are filled with tall tales and long laughs and a cornucopia of tobaccos to try. If you smoke a pipe, I recommend bringing at least three so you can try more than one blend.
This meeting will also be the last to feature our mega-raffle. A mere $5 earns you a ticket that can be entered into one of four drawings.  Up for grabs are a box of Casa Magna cigars, valued at $250, a Thomas Christiano nosewarmer pipe, valued at $180, a G.L. Pease photo calendar featuring 12 beautiful pipe pictures, valued at $50, and a selection of tinned tobaccos. Cash only, but you need not be present to win, so even if you won't be at the meeting, feel free to buy a ticket (or two or three or four...). All proceeds from the raffle will be used to furnish the expanded smoking area at the new Romeo's, so your participation in the raffles directly influences your comfort at the shop.
Again, this will be the first TOPS meeting at Romeo's Uptown, so please come to break in the new shop and say goodbye to the old one.

Tobacco Video Game Review

So you're already wondering what the heck a tobacco game review might be. I suppose that, this being the first I've written, I should explain it. I could, but these reviews are short and won't take long to read, so I'll let them stand for themselves.

Epilogue

The following story will be your first exposure to a new brand of adventurer, but this is chronologically at the end. So if you're reading the end, why do you want to go back and start from the beginning? First, I'm sure I'm not surprising anyone by telling you the hero rides off into the sunset. If you want to know what he rides, you'll read. Second, if you don't read, you'll miss what makes this adventurer different than any other. Mostly, he's a pipe smoker. Those of you who understand why that makes a difference don't need an explanation, and those who don't can easily find out by reading. One last thing, the hero is not yet named. His name will be decided in a contest at PipeChat, so visit that site for details. Ok, on with the epilogue. Happy reading.

Chopping Down the "Peace" Tree

An idea, brought to you by Solani Silver Flake in a Stanwell Bamboo Billiard.

Radical is the idea that mankind can obtain the understanding of cultural perspective intrinsic to itself for the purpose of living in unison. If these ideas are not cultivated into beliefs throughout the intellectual lifespan collectively, then they are just ideas bred by the design of an unabrasive society. I have not personally experienced any manifestation of the idea based on the hopes of the new age hippie. The ones who brandish peace signs in the form of two fingers thrown casually into the air. Peace is not a casual fleeting concept. Futility in peace is the same as futility in war. When pacifists put to action their specific breed of protest for the sake of peace, they in their actions are only waging war. Resistance and protest are not peaceful exploits. We take what we need, and the forceful nature by which we do so eliminates the hope that the understanding of peace can be recognized. If the men and women who are waging it seek to cultivate the rewards of it, the gains will be minimal and the cost high.

There is only one kind of peace that is attainable in this world, and that is the peace within one's self. This is the peace on which to expend energy and faith. There are few things that I will resign to about mankind as a whole, this is one of those things. We have to let societies do what societies do and forge our own armor to deflect the blades and arrows that stray. Never will man lay down their arms in the name of peace, not when assets, resources, and lives are at risk; not even when morality is at risk. In a peaceful world where man is left to his devices death, violence, and crime no matter how petty, can be the only derivative. Though this might seem a dark topic, it's brought me to some degree of enlightenment. I've been able to deliberately identify what turbulence is keeping me from my peace, and have since calmed the waves and slowed the churn. For those who have the bigger idea in mind, they first need to recognize that the more miraculous thing would be for all men to have their own peace. Collective peace is a prize that is made not to win, which is why it's so highly valued. It's hard not to hope when things are as they are.

Ignorance is a great platform for which ecumenical peace to stand on, because understanding is the means for an end. No revolution has been thwarted for the sake of peace, no transformation of government, nor people, nor policies have been conceived through clear and unrippled interpretation.

I find ways to consider how many times I've fought with myself and how the end result of each was the same; square one. I consider how I can dismiss the conflict and create harmony in the ripples that are created by living.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." John F. Kennedy.